Burning is the normal method of rice stubble management in mechanically harvested rice-wheat growing areas of North-West India. This causes air pollution and loss of soil health as well as impacting on human and animal health. In a prior ACIAR project a new generation of seeders capable of direct drilling wheat into heavy rice residue loads without prior burning was developed (Happy Seeder technology). This project intends to reduce the environmental and community impacts of residue burning by enabling an accelerated roll-out of the Happy Seeder technology developed earlier. Charles Sturt University, NSW Department of Primary Industries, International Rice Research Institute and the Punjab Agricultural University will work with farmer groups, contractors and a machinery manufacturer to optimise the technology across different sites in Punjab. The project will generate significant potential economic and social benefits in higher returns to farmers and improved health and air quality.
The project is progressing very well with all team members interacting well despite the challenges of distance and different organisations. Many on-farm experiments have been set up in both Ludhiana/Amritsar (95 ha) and Modipuram (25 ha). This is an improvement on previous years and shows increasing interest from local farmers. While these areas have been largely sown with machines supplied by our research colleagues, it is anticipated that the interest shown by Punjab government departments will result in programs and assistance which will encourage more private ownership of the machines, either by farmers or contractors.
The on farm agronomic trials in both areas in India have been very well established and monitored and many excellent results obtained. The replicated trials looking at nitrogen x residue x irrigation management using the Happy Seeder approach representing major soil types of NW India have resulted in good data being collected at all sites. These are being analysed and will be reported on at a later date. The literature review and spatial analysis to ascertain the areas of Australia which might be suitable for the Happy Seeder approach are in progress.
The machinery development has continued at the Punjab Agricultural University and with local manufacturers. The aim of this work is to produce a machine which can be operated by the more common 35 HP tractors. To this end the PAU colleagues have been experimenting with wider row spacing, which allows removal of alternate cutting mechanisms, as well as every second tyne seed and fertilizer distributors and soil engaging points, thus considerably reducing the gross weight of the machines.
The economic work is well advanced. Data has been collected from five sites in the Punjab, representing different agro-climatic zones with respect to soils, water and climate. These comprise sites near Amritsar, Nawan Shahar, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana, and two sites from Uttar Pradesh, namely Meerut and Ghaziabad. In all 39 farmers were selected for the purpose of the study and the break up is: 11 farmers from Sangrur, 10 farmers from Fatehgarh Sahib, 7 farmers from Amritsar, two farmers from Nawan Shahar, one farmer from Ludhiana and 8 farmers from Modipuram site (UP). To collect the information from the respondent wheat growers a comprehensive survey schedule was developed. The data have been collected using a personal interview method. An attempt has been made to determine realized / foreseen potential benefits as well as the problems of the respondent farmers while using/adopting Happy Seeder technology. In addition to this, suggestions for fine-tuning / refining this technology were also sought from the respondent farmers
Field days, workshops and training sessions have been undertaken in India where much interest in the technique has been expressed. In Australia, although much interest has been show and one field day resulted in the importation of a further machine into Tasmania, more development of the machine is necessary to make it suitable for the heavy and wet rice soils and straw prevalent in Australia.
One of the highlights of the past year has been the reciprocal visit of the Indian and Pakistani Happy Seeder teams (ACIAR companion project LWR/2004/035) to their respective machinery manufacturing and agronomic sites in April 2008. Much cross fertilization occurred, which hopefully will result in improved developments in both countries. Both project teams in India and Pakistan are doing a great job exposing the technique and its potential to many farmers, business men, manufacturers and people of influence in relevant government departments. There is growing confidence that with government support to make the machine more affordable and thus accessible to farmers and contractors the technique will become the alternative of choice to address air pollution from residue burning.
The relationship between the researchers and the manufactures is excellent, without this trusted relationship the development of the machines would not be at the current advanced stage.
Links:
[1] http://www.aciar.gov.au/country/India
[2] http://www.aciar.gov.au/programarea/Land and Water Resources